Technology company Dyson has taken 66,315 square feet of office accommodation at 1 George Square in Bristol in a deal that saw the group hoover up the Impact Award for the South West's best lease.
The move is part of the firm's £100 million drive into a new research and development hub in the city. 1 George Square comprises a Grade A office building over ground and five upper floors and occupies a prominent waterfront position overlooking the floating harbour. The building will be home to hundreds of software and AI engineers working on a pipeline of products that stretches 10 years into the future, as well as the global technology company’s commercial and ecommerce teams for Great Britain and Ireland.
Opposite Castle Park, in the heart of the city, the new centre is another major investment by Dyson in the UK after a Robotics Centre was announced last year at its Hullavington Airfield Campus in Wiltshire, where Dyson has restored Royal Air Force hangars and transformed them into research and development labs focused on wearables and robotics.
About the Project: The new Technology Centre, to be built as part of the sustainable redevelopment of the building near Bristol Bridge, will sit alongside Dyson’s existing UK presence, including the Malmesbury and Hullavington campuses, and offices in London, which combined employ more than 3,500 people. The new centre in Bristol will develop apps and connected functions of Dyson products.
What the Judges Said: "The commitment of Dyson to Bristol is important for the city and the wider area. The new technology centre helps cement Bristol's credentials as a leading city in the UK for tech," said Peter Musgrove, director, head of office, LSH, while Chris Howell, a direct at Howell Commercial took a similar tack, saying "This is a huge deal for Bristol. Dyson's presence in this iconic building overlooking Bristol Bridge will underpin and strengthen Bristol's position as an important tech hub going forwards. "
Joe Downey, a managing director at Cubex called Dyson a "[v]ery dynamic and forward thinking business which intends to use the waterfront building for software and AI engineers to develop new products. I think that is a very exciting business story for Bristol and helps drive the city forward into the future." Joe Downey, managing cirector, Cubex
They Made It Happen: Steve Lane, head of office agency, Cushman & Wakefield; Richard Kidd, senior director, CBRE.